Musselburgh beach polluted and downgraded as SNP “failure” slammed

CHRIS Murray, Edinburgh Labour MP, has slammed the SNP Government for what he described as a “disgusting failure” on sewage and pollution.

Fisherrow Sands, in Murray’s Musselburgh patch, was downgraded by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) to a poor pollution rating.

While Fisherrow was one of only three beaches in the country to receive the worst possible classification, nearby beaches in Portobello were also only deemed “sufficient”.

Murray alleged that this poor performance was due to sewage spills in the Lothians and across the country, while the SNP disputed this claim as “simply not accurate” and asserted that the government has invested billions in “improving and maintaining” the sewer system.

The SNP added that all overflows near designated bathing sites have had monitors installed.

Chris Murray, MP for Edinburgh East and Musselburgh, said: “The beautiful waters around Scotland have been polluted – often with human sewage – due to the SNP’s failure to govern effectively.

“This stinks – both literally (of human waste) and two decades of SNP failure. According to Surfers Against Sewage, in 2024 there were 23,000 reported sewage spills across Scotland which totals over 200,000 hours of sewage spilled in a single year.

“Even more alarmingly, only around 34% of sewage overflows are monitored in Scotland. We have a reported 2,376 sewage overflows that face no monitoring whatsoever.

“And today, Fisherrow Sands – beloved by the local community and admired by all – has been classified as poor due to pollution.

“I have attended multiple litter picks on Fisherrow Sands, with groups like the Seabird Centre – and have personally collected bags of wet wipes and sanitary products from the beach. This PROVES the problem is sewage.

“SEPA is a lackey organisation of the SNP Government: they would rather blame dogs and seagulls for the pollution than acknowledge these failings. Why else did they delay this announcement until after the Scottish Parliament elections?

“This rating simply must come as a wakeup call for Scottish Water and the Scottish Government.

“This is now the third year in a row the beach has been deemed inadequate. England and Wales monitor 100% of their storm overflows and make the data available. Scotland monitors 34%. This is a government failure.”

The Scottish Government responded – pointing out areas where the SNP has invested in the country’s sewage system.

Climate Action Secretary Gillian Martin said:

“97% of Scotland’s bathing waters achieve the bathing water quality standard, with 82% rated good or excellent.

“The water quality in our rivers and lochs is also improving with 86% of Scotland’s entire water environment assessed by SEPA as having a ‘high’ or ‘good’ classification – up from 82% in 2014.

“£2.7 billion has been invested by Scottish Water in the last 10 years in improving and maintaining Scotland’s public sewer system and infrastructure.

“It’s simply not accurate to characterise the operation of overflows as sewage dumping. Overflows are an integral part of Scotland’s sewer networks, ensuring sewers don’t back up and flood homes, streets and sewage works during periods of heavy rainfall.”

In 2015, out of 84 designated bathing beaches, 17 were rated poor. By 2026, the number had fallen to just three out of 90, with the majority receiving an “excellent” rating, according to the Scottish Government.

The Government also pointed out that Scottish Water delivered on its promise to install 1,000 new sewage spill monitors by the end of 2024, including all overflows near bathing sites.

There are multiple monitors on the River Esk, near Fisherrow Sands.